Published: Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 11:28 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | With a recently unveiled development proposed for the intersection of 10th Avenue and 15th Street, Tuscaloosa's residential growth shows no signs of slowing.

But if the $42 million residential/retail project clears the city's bureaucratic hurdles, it stands to displace several longtime businesses, including the 15th Street Diner, in the Central Plaza shopping center.

The planned development comes as Mayor Walt Maddox is organizing a task force to examine the city's stock of apartments, particularly apartments designed for college students. The mayor also wants the task force to examine policies regulating such developments in the future.

“The issue regarding the rapid pace of new student apartments has generated numerous questions from all corners of Tuscaloosa,” Maddox said. “I believe it's critical that the city receive input, data and possibly recommendations from experts in this field about the current student rental market conditions and its future capacity.”

According to plans submitted to City Hall, the 10th Avenue at 15th Street project is expected to have a total of 555 bedrooms — 20 one-bedroom units, 25 two-bedroom units, 135 three-bedroom units and 20 four-bedroom units — along with 10,000 square feet of commercial space along the 10th Avenue side, which amounts to about 3 percent of the total square footage, and a 589-space parking deck on the north side.

Construction is slated to begin in early 2014 with completion sometime in 2015.

Bart Adcox, a local attorney representing South City Partners, the Atlanta-based development company behind the project, and property owner Advantage Realty Group, said the project is designed to help “facilitate the growth of the University of Alabama.”

He said that it brings “quality housing” within walking distance to the campus while falling outside the nearby historic districts.

“We believe that the proposed project embraces several very positive aspects for the city of Tuscaloosa,” Adcox said. “And we believe it appears to be a win-win situation for the community.”

The project already has cleared one hurdle and received the blessing of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, which recommended on Monday that the City Council approve South City Partners' request to rezone the area to accommodate the proposed residential and retail development.

The City Council is expected to vote on granting the rezoning at a later date.

Mark Randall, director of South City Partners, said the development company would work with the current tenants to find spaces to relocate.

“Once we get through (the rezoning process), we'll be working with each of the retail tenants that are there now to help them transition and hopefully give them ample time to go through that,” Randall said. “I think that, generally speaking, (the project) does meet with what the city's development plans show for that site, and I think it's going to be a great project and nice gateway to the Alabama campus.

“We're pretty excited about it.”

Tenants now occupying space inside the Central Plaza shopping center said they learned less than two weeks ago that they may need to relocate.

This sent business owners scrambling to find solutions and for some, like Eatmybeats owner Nikki Ray, it was enough to decide to move on regardless of the project's future.

“We will be relocating — we just don't know where yet,” Ray said. “But as a city, I just hope they know what they're doing when they continue to (allow) apartment complex after apartment complex.”

Dawn Osborn, manager of the 15th Street Diner, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, said the company hoped to be folded into the new development but that no plans about the restaurant's future have been completed.

“We're not real sure yet,” she said.

Others, like Lucas Nguyen of Luxury Nails and Jasmine Pulliam, the assistant manager of Little Caesar's, said they were told by the development company that the earliest they would have to be gone is March 2014.

But they said they have received very little information from Advantage Realty Group, the company that owns the Central Plaza shopping center and acts as the businesses' landlord.

“We've not been told anything from the owners — at all,” Ray said, noting that they learned of Monday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting second-hand.

Adcox challenged these claims that the tenants were ill informed, but said that several nearby retail spaces — from Midtown Village to the mixed-use development Lofts at City Center, now under construction at the former Wood Square site — are options for any tenant that gets displaced.

“The excellent news about this is there's an abundance of retail space located in close proximity to Central Plaza,” Adcox said. “And we are absolutely assured that the purchaser will make every effort to coordinate a smooth transition for the existing tenants.”

Steven Rumsey, the chairman of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, was absent when the board signed off on the proposed development.

But he, like Maddox, said he is growing more concerned about Tuscaloosa's future when it comes to off-campus housing for college students.

On Wednesday, he spoke to the YMCA Men's Club and came armed with statistics that he said showed there are far more beds than students attending the University of Alabama.

Since 2002, the University has added about 13,000 students for a total student population of about 33,500, Rumsey said.

In that time, the city has seen 12,432 new student bedrooms developed with another 8,711 in the works, Rumsey said.

<p>TUSCALOOSA | With a recently unveiled development proposed for the intersection of 10th Avenue and 15th Street, Tuscaloosa's residential growth shows no signs of slowing.</p><p>But if the $42 million residential/retail project clears the city's bureaucratic hurdles, it stands to displace several longtime businesses, including the 15th Street Diner, in the Central Plaza shopping center.</p><p>The planned development comes as Mayor Walt Maddox is organizing a task force to examine the city's stock of apartments, particularly apartments designed for college students. The mayor also wants the task force to examine policies regulating such developments in the future.</p><p>“The issue regarding the rapid pace of new student apartments has generated numerous questions from all corners of Tuscaloosa,” Maddox said. “I believe it's critical that the city receive input, data and possibly recommendations from experts in this field about the current student rental market conditions and its future capacity.”</p><p>According to plans submitted to City Hall, the 10th Avenue at 15th Street project is expected to have a total of 555 bedrooms — 20 one-bedroom units, 25 two-bedroom units, 135 three-bedroom units and 20 four-bedroom units — along with 10,000 square feet of commercial space along the 10th Avenue side, which amounts to about 3 percent of the total square footage, and a 589-space parking deck on the north side.</p><p>Construction is slated to begin in early 2014 with completion sometime in 2015.</p><p>Bart Adcox, a local attorney representing South City Partners, the Atlanta-based development company behind the project, and property owner Advantage Realty Group, said the project is designed to help “facilitate the growth of the University of Alabama.”</p><p>He said that it brings “quality housing” within walking distance to the campus while falling outside the nearby historic districts.</p><p>“We believe that the proposed project embraces several very positive aspects for the city of Tuscaloosa,” Adcox said. “And we believe it appears to be a win-win situation for the community.”</p><p>The project already has cleared one hurdle and received the blessing of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, which recommended on Monday that the City Council approve South City Partners' request to rezone the area to accommodate the proposed residential and retail development.</p><p>The City Council is expected to vote on granting the rezoning at a later date.</p><p>Mark Randall, director of South City Partners, said the development company would work with the current tenants to find spaces to relocate.</p><p>“Once we get through (the rezoning process), we'll be working with each of the retail tenants that are there now to help them transition and hopefully give them ample time to go through that,” Randall said. “I think that, generally speaking, (the project) does meet with what the city's development plans show for that site, and I think it's going to be a great project and nice gateway to the Alabama campus.</p><p>“We're pretty excited about it.”</p><p>Tenants now occupying space inside the Central Plaza shopping center said they learned less than two weeks ago that they may need to relocate.</p><p>This sent business owners scrambling to find solutions and for some, like Eatmybeats owner Nikki Ray, it was enough to decide to move on regardless of the project's future.</p><p>“We will be relocating — we just don't know where yet,” Ray said. “But as a city, I just hope they know what they're doing when they continue to (allow) apartment complex after apartment complex.”</p><p>Dawn Osborn, manager of the 15th Street Diner, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, said the company hoped to be folded into the new development but that no plans about the restaurant's future have been completed.</p><p>“We're not real sure yet,” she said. </p><p>Others, like Lucas Nguyen of Luxury Nails and Jasmine Pulliam, the assistant manager of Little Caesar's, said they were told by the development company that the earliest they would have to be gone is March 2014.</p><p>But they said they have received very little information from Advantage Realty Group, the company that owns the Central Plaza shopping center and acts as the businesses' landlord.</p><p>“We've not been told anything from the owners — at all,” Ray said, noting that they learned of Monday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting second-hand.</p><p>Adcox challenged these claims that the tenants were ill informed, but said that several nearby retail spaces — from Midtown Village to the mixed-use development Lofts at City Center, now under construction at the former Wood Square site — are options for any tenant that gets displaced.</p><p>“The excellent news about this is there's an abundance of retail space located in close proximity to Central Plaza,” Adcox said. “And we are absolutely assured that the purchaser will make every effort to coordinate a smooth transition for the existing tenants.”</p><p>Steven Rumsey, the chairman of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, was absent when the board signed off on the proposed development.</p><p>But he, like Maddox, said he is growing more concerned about Tuscaloosa's future when it comes to off-campus housing for college students.</p><p>On Wednesday, he spoke to the YMCA Men's Club and came armed with statistics that he said showed there are far more beds than students attending the University of Alabama.</p><p>Since 2002, the University has added about 13,000 students for a total student population of about 33,500, Rumsey said.</p><p>In that time, the city has seen 12,432 new student bedrooms developed with another 8,711 in the works, Rumsey said.</p><p>Factoring in the 3,700-bed increase on campus, that leaves almost 12,000 private student bedrooms unfilled, Rumsey said.</p><p>What this means to the future of those developments is unknown, but Rumsey and other city officials do not want them to be left as vacant slums.</p><p>And the addition of more and more developments, Rumsey said, creates the potential to allow that.</p><p>“The city has great potential to be a victim,” Rumsey told the YMCA club. “As chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, I see things earlier than most, but not as early as most people think.</p><p>“So when the mayor calls me and says I am now officially frightened, that means ... Walt knows even more than I do, and he's even more scared.” </p><p>Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.</p>